Before&After Design Tip: Level Those Horizons

Horizons and water must be level

Here’s a quick design tip on working with photos from issue 43 of Before&After Magazine.

It’s easy to overlook a slightly tilted horizon, especially when another angle (the bridge) is thrown in. But horizons should be level, and water must be level. When a photo has water, think of a soup bowl, and don’t spill it. Leveling an image will require cropping all four sides.

While a camera tilt can be weak, ambiguous and undesirable, a bold, artistic tilt can energize a composition! It’s especially effective on images that have strong, straight lines.

CreativePro members can download original content from Before&After Magazine, a beloved resource that taught a generation of newly minted digital designers how to design and communicate effectively with the written word. See our archive here.

© John McWade/Before&After Magazine, courtesy of Gaye Anne McWade.

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This article was last modified on January 4, 2026

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